Energy savings in the kitchen

There are many no- and low-cost opportunities to save energy in your kitchen. Many of these only require a little thought and planning.

Lighting the way

The biggest area for saving electricity in the kitchen is the lighting.

• Always turn off the lights when you leave the kitchen.
• Replace light bulbs with lower wattage bulbs, i.e., replace a 100-watt bulb with a 60-watt.
• For even greater savings replace incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs. Find out more about CFL bulbs.
  

Refrigerators/freezers

Refrigerators and freezers are among the top energy users of all the appliances in your home. Find out how you can reduce the amount of energy your refrigerator and freezer use.

Dishwasher savings

• Washing a load of dishes in the dishwasher uses about 10 gallons of water. Washing the same amount of dishes by hand uses an average of 16 gallons.
• Rinsing dirty dishes prior to loading your dishwasher wastes water and energy by washing your dishes twice. Scraping food from dishes instead of rinsing should be sufficient for most modern dishwashers.
• Your dishwasher uses the same amount of water and electricity regardless of how many dishes are loaded. Always run a full load and the shortest cycle necessary to get them clean.
• Cancel the drying cycle and allow the dishes to air dry.
• If you are replacing a dishwasher, Energy Star qualified dishwashers can save more than $25 a year in energy costs compared with standard models.*

Now you’re cooking

• Using a crockpot or microwave can cut your energy usage for cooking by as much as half.
• When using a regular oven, open the door only when necessary. Opening the oven door lets heat escape, reducing the temperature. Check your food without opening the door if your oven has a glass door and internal light.
• Keep the kitchen door closed when cooking to prevent the kitchen from heating up the rest of your home, causing the air conditioner to have to work harder.
• Use the stove exhaust fan to help draw the excess heat out of the kitchen.
• If your kitchen has windows you can open them to let the hot air out. This is most effective when the kitchen door is closed and you are running a ceiling fan. Find out how ceiling fans keep you cooler, and discover other ways to save energy with windows.

Don’t be a drip

Repair all leaky faucets. A leak can waste gallons of water. If it's a hot water faucet, you are wasting energy heating water that is going down the drain.

*Source: www.energystar.gov dated 6/19/08